Obituaries for 2023

[verga]

Legendary hockey announcer Rick Jeanneret dies at 81

https://www.wivb.com/news/rick-jeanneret-legendary-sabres-broadcaster-dies-at-81/

51 years with the Buffalo Sabres, and never once got to call a Stanley Cup victory. @DCPatriot @verga

As Rick himself would say... roll the highlight film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUSLwxbcBMk

Got to meet him once at a game. My father worked for WKBW television when they used to broadcast the games. He would get free tickets once or twice a year and my sisters and I Awould sit right behind the the announcers platform. (Note: this was halfway up the stands and right at center ice. Well below the pres booth.) I met Rick Azar, Ted Darling and Rick Jeanneret. Al of them were easy to talk to very friendly.

[Kamaji]

Former NY Senator and ‘conservative beacon’ James L. Buckley dies at 100

By Victor Nava   
August 18, 2023

James L. Buckley, a “conservative beacon” who won a shock election victory to represent New York in the US Senate in 1970, has died. He was 100.

Buckley’s death in a Washington, DC, hospital was the result of complications from a fall, his nephew, author and political satirist Christopher Buckley, told the New York Times Friday. 

NYC native Buckley, the older brother of National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr., catapulted to national fame with his victory for the Conservative Party in the three-way Senate race between Republican incumbent Charles Goodell — who had been appointed by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller to serve out the term of the assassinated Robert F. Kennedy — and Democrat Richard Ottinger.

Buckley, who had sought to challenge Goodell for the GOP line but was rejected by state party officials, hammered both the Republican and the Democrat for their dovish stances on the Vietnam War. With the tacit backing of President Richard Nixon, Buckley won the election with just 38.8% of the vote.

Buckley’s victory was the last for a third-party Senate candidate until Joe Lieberman won re-election as an independent from Connecticut in 2006, and no non-incumbent Senate contender has won on a third-party ballot line since.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/18/former-new-york-sen-james-l-buckley-dies-at-100/

[Wingnut]

They don't make them like the Buckley's anymore.  And that is why we are in the mess we are now.

[Kamaji]

Emmy-winning ‘This Is Us’ actor Ron Cephas Jones dead at 66

By Nicholas McEntyre   
August 20, 2023

Ron Cephas Jones, the two-time Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor, has died at 66 years old.

Jones had a “long-standing pulmonary issue,” a representative for the late actor told People on Saturday.

Jones was best known for his role as William Hill on the NBC drama “This Is Us,” where he won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020.

“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness, and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” a statement to the outlet read. “He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning performance for his role in ‘Clyde’s’ on Broadway.”

“Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award-winning performance on ‘This is Us.’

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/20/ron-cephas-jones-emmy-winning-this-is-us-actor-dead-at-66/

[deb]

Emmy-winning ‘This Is Us’ actor Ron Cephas Jones dead at 66

By Nicholas McEntyre   
August 20, 2023

Ron Cephas Jones, the two-time Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actor, has died at 66 years old.

Jones had a “long-standing pulmonary issue,” a representative for the late actor told People on Saturday.

Jones was best known for his role as William Hill on the NBC drama “This Is Us,” where he won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020.

“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness, and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” a statement to the outlet read. “He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning performance for his role in ‘Clyde’s’ on Broadway.”

“Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award-winning performance on ‘This is Us.’

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/20/ron-cephas-jones-emmy-winning-this-is-us-actor-dead-at-66/

He was very good on “This Is Us”.

[Kamaji]

Former Giants running back Randy Minniear dead at 79

By David Russell
August 20, 2023

Randy Minniear, a Giants running back in the late 1960s, died Aug. 13 at 79, according to an online obituary.

No cause of death was given.

After playing fullback at Purdue, he was selected by the Giants in the 20th round of the 1966 NFL Draft and would first play in 1967, when Earl Morrall was the quarterback.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/20/former-giants-running-back-randy-minniear-dead-at-79/

[Kamaji]

WWE legend Terry Funk dead at 79

By Ryan Glasspiegel
August 23, 2023

Terry Funk, one of the highest-regarded professional wrestlers in history, has died at 79 years old.

Funk had a career that spanned all the way from 1965 until 2017, with a 14-month reign as NWA world champion — at a time when this was the unified national title amongst a number of regional territories — that began in 1975.

He was one of the pioneers of the “hardcore” style of wrestling and was universally considered by wrestling fans and workers in the business as a consummate professional.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/23/terry-funk-wwe-and-pro-wrestling-legend-dead-at-79/

[Kamaji]

Soap opera star Nancy Frangione dead: ‘Another World’ villain was 70

By Emily Lefroy
August 23, 2023

Nancy Frangione, a soap opera star best known for her roles in “Another World” and “All My Children,” has died. She was 70.

Frangione passed away in her hometown of Barnstable, Massachusetts, on Aug. 18, according to her online obituary. A cause of death was not shared.

Born on July 10, 1953, Frangione played Tara Martin on ABC’s “All My Children” from 1977-79.

She also portrayed scheming villain Cecile DePoulignac on “Another World” from 1981-84, reprising the role a number of times.

She won the Soap Opera Digest award for outstanding villainess in 1984.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/23/soap-opera-star-nancy-frangione-dead-at-70/

[deb]

Soap opera star Nancy Frangione dead: ‘Another World’ villain was 70

By Emily Lefroy
August 23, 2023

Nancy Frangione, a soap opera star best known for her roles in “Another World” and “All My Children,” has died. She was 70.

Frangione passed away in her hometown of Barnstable, Massachusetts, on Aug. 18, according to her online obituary. A cause of death was not shared.

Born on July 10, 1953, Frangione played Tara Martin on ABC’s “All My Children” from 1977-79.

She also portrayed scheming villain Cecile DePoulignac on “Another World” from 1981-84, reprising the role a number of times.

She won the Soap Opera Digest award for outstanding villainess in 1984.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/23/soap-opera-star-nancy-frangione-dead-at-70/

Enjoyed watching her on Another World back in the day. That was quite a good soap opera with a talented cast.

[Kamaji]

‘Little House on the Prairie’ actor dead: Hersha Parady was 78

By Jack Hobbs
August 24, 2023

Hersha Parady, who starred as schoolteacher Alice Garvey on the hit NBC show “Little House on the Prairie,” died Wednesday at the age of 78.

Parady passed away at the Norfolk, Virginia, home of her son, Jonathan Peverall, after suffering from a brain tumor that was revealed in July, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In an effort to help cover expenses of his mother’s hospital bills, Peverall set up a GoFundMe page at that time, raising $20,482.

“Hersha, who has always been an active and outgoing woman, is battling a tough medical condition – a brain tumor known as meningioma,” wrote Peverall. “This illness has robbed her of her strength, her memory, and sadly, her vibrant personality. She has become largely bedridden, and it is very difficult to see my Mom, who was once full of life and energy, now struggling with basic daily activities.”

Peverall revealed that he and his family managed to move his declining mother to his family’s home in Virginia and sought the best care possible.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/24/little-house-on-the-prairie-actor-dead-hersha-parady-was-78/

[Kamaji]

Former WWE champion Bray Wyatt dead unexpectedly at 36

By Ryan Glasspiegel
August 24, 2023

Bray Wyatt, a star professional wrestler in WWE, has died unexpectedly.

He was 36 years old.

The news was announced by WWE’s head of creative, Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

“Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda – also known as Bray Wyatt – unexpectedly passed earlier today,” Triple H tweeted Thursday.

“Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time.”

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/24/former-wwe-champion-bray-wyatt-dead-at-36/

[Gefn]

Bernie Marsden, Beloved Whitesnake Guitarist, Dead at 72

Bernie Marsden, the original guitarist for Whitesnake and co-writer behind some of the band’s biggest hits, died on Thursday (Aug. 24). He was 72 years old.

Marsden’s family shared the news via a statement posted to the rocker’s Instagram page, along with a photo of Marsden smiling at the camera. “On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness we announce the death of Bernie Marsden. Bernie died peacefully on Thursday evening with his wife, Fran, and daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, by his side. Bernie never lost his passion for music, writing and recording new songs until the end,” reads the post, which you can see here.

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/bernie-marsden-whitesnake-guitarist-dead-1235401499/

[Gefn]

Breaking-Bob Barker dead at 99

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Bob Barker, the former longtime host of the TV game show "The Price Is Right" and an animal-rights activist, died Saturday morning, his publicist said. He was 99.

Barker died of natural causes at his home in the Hollywood Hills, his spokesman Roger Neal said.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World's Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us," Neal said in a statement.

Barker was a winner of 19 Daytime Emmy Awards. Also received an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1999 and was inducted into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame in 2004.

https://abc7.com/bob-barker-obituary-price-is-right-game-show-host/13704249/

[catfish1957]

Breaking-Bob Barker dead at 99




https://abc7.com/bob-barker-obituary-price-is-right-game-show-host/13704249/

Didn't know he was still alive.  99?  He was up there in Betty White and George Burns territory.

[mountaineer]

Aug. 26, 2023, 12:38 PM EDT / Source: TODAY
By Drew Weisholtz

Bob Barker, a titan of daytime television who hosted “The Price Is Right” for 35 years and “Truth or Consequences” for nearly two decades before that, has died, his publicist said. He was 99.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce that the World’s Greatest MC who ever lived, Bob Barker has left us," Barker's publicist Roger Neal said in a statement.

Born Dec. 12, 1923, in Darrington, Washington, Barker joined the Navy in World War II and later dabbled in radio. He moved to California in the hopes of making it in broadcasting and landed the radio program “The Bob Barker Show” in 1950.

In 1956, he got his big break when he was hired to host the TV adaptation of the radio game show “Truth or Consequences” on NBC. The series was syndicated in 1966 and Barker would remain with the show until it ended in 1975.

Barker was already pulling double duty when the show was canceled since he began hosting “The Price Is Right” in 1972 on CBS. ...

My mother and brother were on Truth or Consequences with Bob sometime around 1964. It was a show featuring moms and their teenage children and how well they could predict how the other would answer questions; a family friend and her daughter also were on it. Bob was very funny. My mother came away with a bottle of Jungle Gardenia and a jewelry box full of costume jewelry. My brother got a stack of record albums. So that's my Bob Barker memory. 

[jmyrlefuller]

Seen on another forum:

"He got as close as he could to 100 without going over."

[Kamaji]

‘Days of Our Lives’ star and Harley Quinn voice actor Arleen Sorkin dead at 67

By Jack Hobbs   
August 28, 2023

Arleen Sorkin, the former “Days of Our Lives” star who served as the voice and inspiration for well-known “Batman” anti-hero Harley Quinn, died Thursday. She was 67.

The actress passed away after a decades-long battle against multiple sclerosis, a representative for Sorkin’s husband, TV producer and screenwriter Christopher Lloyd, told Entertainment Weekly.

“We will always remember our dear Arleen for her immense generosity of spirit,” the family said in a statement. “Talented, yes, and dogged, too, as evidenced by her tenacious, decades-long fight with a terrible disease.”

“But more than that, she was a loving presence in the lives of her two boys, Eli and Owen; her mother, Joyce; her brothers, Robert and Arthur; and the countless other children, old and young, whom she took under her beautiful wing over the years.”

The statement continued by saying that while her passing was sad, it was “a joyous one, too, knowing how many people today are summoning her memory and smiling.”

Sorkin made her TV debut as an extra in “Saturday Night Live” in 1982 but her breakthrough role came in 1984 when she appeared as Calliope Jones Bradford on the popular soap opera, “Days of Our Lives.”

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/28/days-of-our-lives-star-and-harley-quinn-voice-arleen-sorkin-dead-at-67/

[Kamaji]

Seen on another forum:

"He got as close as he could to 100 without going over."

[mystery-ak]

'Joe The Plumber,' who rose to fame after confronting Barack Obama on the 2008 campaign trail, dead at 49
Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber by trade, became a key part of Republican John McCain's presidential campaign
 By Danielle Wallace Fox News

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who became known as "Joe the Plumber" after garnering national media attention for confronting then-presidential candidate Barack Obama on the 2008 campaign trail, died Sunday, his wife Katie Wurzelbacher confirmed Monday in an email to Fox News Digital. He was 49.

"Our hearts are broken. We lost a beloved husband, father, son, brother and friend. He made an impact on so many lives," Katie Wurzelbacher wrote in a statement.

"When I met Joe he was already known by everyone else as ‘Joe the Plumber’ but he wrote something to me that stood out and showed me who he truly was: ‘just Joe,’" she said. "He was an average, honorable man trying to do great things for the country he loved so deeply after being thrust into the public eye for asking a question."

Joe Wurzelbacher had announced in July that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/joe-plumber-rose-fame-confronting-obama-2008-campaign-trail-dead-49

[Idiot]

I remember Arkin from 1979's "The Inlaws" as the nervous dentist "Sheldon Kornpett", along with the CIA agent "Vince Ricardo", played by Peter Falk.

One of my favorite movies.  I remember seeing it when it first came out and laughed hysterically.  There are so many great lines from that movie. 

[Idiot]

Seen on another forum:

"He got as close as he could to 100 without going over."

[Kamaji]

‘Joe The Plumber,’ who rose to fame after confronting Obama on 2008 campaign trail, dead at 49

By Ronny Reyes   
August 28, 2023

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who rose to national fame as “Joe the Plumber” after confronting Barack Obama on the 2008 campaign trail, died Sunday, his family confirmed. 

Wurzelbacher, 49, died after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer in July, his wife, Katie Wurzelbacher told Fox News.

“Our hearts are broken. We lost a beloved husband, father, son, brother and friend. He made an impact on so many lives,” the widow wrote in a statement.

“When I met Joe he was already known by everyone else as ‘Joe the Plumber’ but he wrote something to me that stood out and showed me who he truly was: ‘just Joe,’” she said. “He was an average, honorable man trying to do great things for the country he loved so deeply after being thrust into the public eye for asking a question.”

Wurzelbacher became a symbol of the average Joe when the plumber challenged Obama at a campaign event in Toledo, Ohio, accusing the presidential candidate’s tax plan of going against the American Dream.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/28/joe-the-plumber-who-rose-to-fame-after-confronting-obama-on-the-2008-campaign-trail-dead-at-49/

[Kamaji]

Jack Sonni, Dire Straits’ ‘other’ guitarist, dies at 68

By Jack Hobbs   
August 31, 2023

Jack Sonni, known as “the other guitarist” in the British rock group Dire Straits, died Wednesday at the age of 68.

The band announced Sonni’s death on X (formerly Twitter) with a post that included a black-and-white photo of the guitarist, who rose to fame when he joined the band for their iconic “Brothers in Arms” album and tour.

“#JackSonni Rest In Peace. #DireStraits.”

It is currently unknown how the music legend passed away.

The news of Sonni’s death comes after a recent post on the Dire Straits Legacy website, run by former band members, sharing that their bandmate was in poor health.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/31/jack-sonni-dire-straits-other-guitarist-dies-at-68/

[Gefn]

wow. two rock guitarists in one week

[Kamaji]

Cowboys’ Hall of Fame executive Gil Brandt dead at 91

By Miles Schachner   
August 31, 2023

Longtime Cowboys executive Gil Brandt has died at the age of 91.

Brandt worked alongside legendary coach Tom Landry and general manager Tex Schramm to help turn the Cowboys into a perennial Super Bowl contender.

He worked with the Cowboys from 1960-88 and his innovative scouting techniques helped revolutionize the sport and the franchise.

“We are so deeply saddened by the passing of Gil Brandt — a true icon and pioneer of our sport. Gil was at the very core of the early success of the Dallas Cowboys and continued to serve as a great ambassador for the organization for decades beyond that. His contributions cemented his spot in the Ring of Honor,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement.

*  *  *

Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/31/gil-brandt-cowboys-hall-of-fame-executive-dead-at-91/